This annual event for our boarding family has been running for almost 20 years now and acts as a wonderful community event, bringing the residential community together in a fun, competitive and active way.

Each year, the Boarders Charity Relay raises a huge sum of money for our partnered charity Flame Cambodia. We set the target to raise NZ$16,000 and each year that target is reached through the incredible fundraising efforts of our students. That money is used by Flame to fund the St Paul’s Collegiate School “Mobile Classroom” (Book Tuk Tuk) which is at work in the slums of Phnom Penn Cambodia. 

Many of our students have worked with Flame in the slums, seen the work of the mobile classroom with its amazing teachers and have witnessed the incredible impact that this has on the lives of some of the most impoverished children in the world. Cambodia is also a nation that relies heavily on tourism to fuel its economy and, as a result of a Covid-19, the economic impact on that nation has been devastating.

This event is being held on 23 May - our first 'in-weekend'. While this doesn't allow much time for us to mobilise our fundraising efforts Mr Lander and I have no doubt we can achieve our goal. We CAN do this! We have pledged to support the mobile classroom for at least 10 years and this will be the fifth year of those 10. We know we can honour our commitment and support the remarkable work of our fellow teachers in Cambodia. Mr Constable will have sent each boarding family the required details of the event and sponsorship documentation..

Whilst writing I would mention that the World Vision 40 hour famine event will be soon upon us in June and we will be encouraging our day student community to support that initiative which this year will be providing funds to fight Covid-19 in Malawi, Africa. This is an opportunity for the day student community to match what the boarders do and more details will be provided in this respect in due course. 

We are a school with a significant pride in our student’s ability to consider the needs of others, particularly those in economic positions less fortunate than our own. We are a school with many opportunities for transformational service and through these programmes, we change the world and change ourselves in so doing.

I ask you and encourage you all to please support these initiatives to the best of your ability, reminding ourselves and all those around us, that we are a school that lies at the heart of the community with the community in its heart.